Afghan-ish breakfast (Recipe)

This is an ode to the farmer's market. This past weekend I visited the San Ramon Farmer's Market and found a table selling Afghan food products. I ended up purchasing a spinach-filled bolani, (Afghan flat bread that is stuffed and grilled) a potato-filled bolani and a jar of sweet jalapeno chutney.

To celebrate and eat this purchase, for more than just lunch or dinner, I decided to try incorporating the ingredients into a breakfast dish. I toasted the bolani in the toaster oven for a few minutes, cooked two eggs till over medium and layered as you see below. I then topped it all with the sweet jalapeno chutney and a sprinkle of fresh cilantro.

I know this is not a "real" Afghan dish, but it was delicious and I wanted to spread the word about the vendor. They are called East & West Gourmet Afghan Food and they make all their own bolanis, chutneys, hummus, etc. They sell their wonderful products at local Bay Area Farmer's Markets and I encourage anyone to check them out. They are also very willing to let you taste before you buy. Explore and enjoy!

Bacon, Pork Belly and Egg Tart (Recipe)

I'm always looking for new things to make for breakfast. This was inspired by Occupy Bacon, a site that gives thanks to all things bacon. Since I'm unable to follow a written recipe, below is my recipe for this delectable tart.

I started with a regular pie crust. 1 cup flour, 1 pinch salt and 3/4 stick butter went into the food processor and pulsed until course crumbs formed. Then I added slightly less than 1/4 cup of cold water and pulsed until the dough came together. I then dumped the dough on a sheet of plastic wrap, wraped it up and put it in the fridge for about 20 minutes to rest.

I then unwrapped the dough, sprinkled it with flour and rolled out the dough on a lightly floured surface until about 1/4 inch thick. Then I cut it into small circles, placed them in mini pie pans (this amount makes 4 small tarts), pierced them with a fork and baked them for 12 minutes in a 375 degree oven until lightly golden and slightly puffed.

Then in the center of each pie crust I added the already cooked and crumbled bacon, cooked pieces of pork belly and cracked one raw egg in the center. After a light sprinkle of salt and pepper I placed it back into the 375 degree oven and baked for 8 minutes. Then I turned the temperature to broil and let it go for 90 seconds until the egg was set to my liking (I like my eggs a bit runny in the yolk). After removing promptly and letting it cool for about 5 minutes, I enjoyed my savory breakfast.

To make things faster in the morning, the pie crust portion can be made and baked a day in advance and everything else can be done the day of. Mm-mm, bacon!

Buddy's Bites and Brews--Hayward (American cuisine)

I can't believe I almost wrote this place off after drawing my conclusions from the look of the sign and the silly name. I've driven past this brewery/restaurant many times while on my way to my favorite Japanese restaurant, Tomodachi, in Hayward. Who'd of thought I was driving past amazing food and drink almost every other week. Location: 24297 Hesperian Blvd. in Hayward.

After a recommendation in passing from a friend of a friend, I decided to give this place a try. The name, the signage, the decor, even the names of their dishes have a cheeky, surfer sense of humor (the place was started by a surf instructor and his friends). But the food is no joke. It was already busy at about 6:45pm on a Friday night. After about a 45 minute wait, we were seated.

They change their selections of beer on tap regularly and offer more than just your usual Bud or Corona. As a beer lover, the choices were definitely to my liking. I started with a pint of their Denogginizer. A very hoppy, 10% alcohol by volume, full-bodied beer.

For my entree, I selected their Breaded Snapper Burger. A surprisingly fresh and perfectly flaky piece of fish was bestowed before me, dressed with a lightly spicy red cabbage slaw, cilantro and tarter sauce. I also opted to upgrade my fries for their sweet potato tater tots. That was a good choice. Even my boyfriend, who is not a big fan of sweet potato, fought me for those tots. It also came with a tomato-y, brown sugar-y sauce that also had some heat and exceptional flavor.

My boyfriend choose the "Ham" Burger. A thick patty of juicy Angus beef served with ham, bacon, pepper jack and cheddar cheese, a fried egg, onion straws and garlic ranch sauce. All this between a nicely buttered, lightly toasted bun. Also a winner.

I had absolutely no room for dessert, but they sounded good. Buddy's also serves brunch on the weekends and offers happy hour during the week from 3pm-6pm. I think I'm going to become a very happy regular.